Souls' Ground
by Caffeinated Star
Summary: Excerpt from Ch. 9, En Memoriam: "These were the names of those that died for love, fighting with honor, and protecting their village." Drabbles with a variety of characters, pairings and themes.
1. Snow

**Drabble - Snow**

It's cold, she thinks dully, casting her gaze around. Snow litters the ground, with more drifting lightly to join every second. The sun is hidden behind the dark grey clouds, even as a small group of people stand out in front of the cemetery. There's only thirteen, including her. She's not surprised. Most people had forgotten him, as his name faded into obscurity, nothing more than something out of a history textbook.

She hadn't. She never did. Every night she remembered how–

She chokes back a sob. She can't cry now. She hasn't cried since his body was carried back through the gates. She has to stay strong.

Beside her, a hand tightens on her shoulder, and another around her hand. They are almost uncomfortably close. So close, that she can feel the breath, muffled by a mask, on her neck, and the tickle of blond hair. She closes her eyes, basking in their warmth. They're stony cold, but at the same time, the most warmth she's felt all day.

As the body is set on fire, she opens her eyes once more.

It will be the only time she will ever see Sasuke peaceful, after all.

The flickering flames engulf him. One by one, the group turns to leave.

And slowly she does too.

_She screams as she watches Naruto get blown back. For the first time, red fills her vision completely. If he had just taken a second to notice... but his attention is completely on the blond. _

_Tired from his battle, he never sees the kunai slip into his neck. _

* * *

><p><span>Note:<span> I wasn't entirely sure if the Japanese buried or cremated more often. So I made this a cremation. And then I was uncertain if people actually watched the cremation. My apologies if I got something wrong.


	2. Colors

**Drabble - Colors**

Sasuke died looking at the reflection of his own body from blue eyes. They were sad, he thought distantly, as he fell to the ground, blood still trickling out of the wound in his chest. But at the same time, they were merciless.

Now, green eyes looked into his, tears dripping down from them and onto his face.

He couldn't remember the last time he cried. The world never seemed to deserve his tears.

Then again, for him, the world had always been black and white. For the green and blue eyes... the world was most likely full of many colors.

Like that particularly bright shade of yellow.

Or the cotton candy pink.

They always seemed to carry the light of the world wherever they went.

Sasuke shut his eyes. He had never been privy to the many beautiful colors of the world. He would not be privy to them as he died either.

But as two warm hands clasped both of his own, he wondered...

A voice drifted toward his ears, filled with every imaginable color that anyone could ever think of. "I'm sorry, Sasuke."

Yeah. He was too.

* * *

><p><span>Note:<span> Something I found floating on my computer. Angsty, much?


	3. Souls' Ground

**Souls' Ground**

**Word Count (WC): 621**

The brilliant colors brush against the sky, creating a mass of purple, orange, pink and grey. It is perhaps the only time of day when the sky looks so alive. Usually, it would fall into darkness, the liveliness disappearing. But for this place... it always seems alive, whether it be night or day. But at the same time, it is always... _dead_.

There is a hill in an unmarked area, where one is able to look up at the sunset and think he can touch the sky. Maybe even paint more colors onto it, or grasp a star out of the sky.

The people that whisper call it the Souls' Ground.

One man now sits on the hill, leaning on his hands. A good name, he thinks, for such a sad place. He should know. He's there every day. He likes to think he _knows_ the hill, unlike anyone has known it before. He knows the height of it, the slope, and even the number of feet that walk across it each day... each week... each month... each year...

Yes, he knows the hill.

And so, he is very aware when another presence intrudes. The newcomer sits down silently next to him, dangling her hands between her knees. The first closes his eyes, letting a soft breeze wash across his face. They stay in silence for awhile.

"He forgives you, you know."

It's abrupt, but he should have expected it. Everyone has already told him this; why would she think that it would make any difference if he heard it again?

"I'm sorry too." She hugs her knees to her chest, draping her head over them. He glances at her. Is that supposed to make things go back to normal?

"We – we just want to be a team again."

Frowning, he finally turns his head completely toward her. "I was never part of it."

She falls silent. "We... he... _Please_, come with us."

He can see the redness in her eyes, and hear the tears in her voice. He forces himself to turn away, stubbornly looking at the sunset again. A small sob emanates from his right, where she is sitting, and he feels his composure break. Crying girls – he had never been good at dealing with them. "I just..." he falters, looking for words to justify himself to her. Maybe a small attempt to console her.

Instead he mumbles, "I don't think I can face him again."

The crying cuts off. Her gaze lingers on him, but he continues to look at the colors; the orange now mixes in with the graying sky. It's almost dark.

"Why?" she asks. "He forgave you a long time ago."

He contemplates the answer; even as he watches the colors slowly fade. He wonders if, just like those colors, his opportunities will fade. "Because," he hears himself answer, as if from a distance, "I don't think I can forgive myself."

When she doesn't say anything, he dares to look at her again. Full on look. Not at her shoulder, not at her hair. His eyes catch hers, noting the surprising depth in the brown.

Somehow, she has managed to clasp his hand without him noticing. Blinking, he looks down at their combined hands, and back up to her.

"We'll help, Kakashi," she says. "We always will."

Eye widening, he allows her smaller form to pull him by the hand. Under the rapidly setting sun, she leads him down the hill. At the bottom, two more greet him, pulling him instantly into their group.

By the time the stars began to twinkle, the group have already disappeared.

And a small group of four sparkles quite brightly that night, right where the hill meets the sky.

* * *

><p><span>Note:<span> Agh. Don't really know about this one.


	4. The Last Resort

**The Last Resort**

**WC: ****559**

It was a strange thing for Morino Ibiki to find out that out of all the torture methods, only one always guaranteed a certain result. He had stared people down, cut off limbs, even ate and drank in front of his victims. All of those methods encompassed physical and metal pain in one way or another. But always, one of them could find a way past those.

It was the last method that he always thought the most chilling.

_Have you ever heard someone scream without ever being touched?_

After a while of this method, the screams would reach his ears. He wasn't sure if it was the silence that got to them, or the absolute nothingness. All he knew was that they would scream as long as possible, just to fill that silence. They would beg to be let out, beg for mercy.

_Have you ever heard someone start to cry without you ever saying something?_

But he wouldn't do anything. He knew that if he let them out at that moment, they would still have their bearings. They would still be able to resist. So, the method continued. Slowly, their screams would die down.

And they would be replaced with cries.

At first, it would just be small little whimpers in the silence. Ibiki imagined that they would huddle as close as possible to their bodies. Then, the whimpers would recede to small little sobs, and soon they would be begging, the same as before.

Eventually, they stopped making any noise altogether.

_Have you ever seen someone become completely paralyzed in the face of nothingness?_

Only then, would Ibiki open the door slightly. A small crack of light would enter the room, illuminating a broken figure on the ground. They would lie there, curled in a fetal position, completely still, except for the mild shaking. At this point, Ibiki would decide whether they had enough, or if he needed to start all over again.

_Have you ever seen someone cry in happiness, and thank you for your pity, just because you opened a door?_

Usually, he opened the door completely. Here, all their secrets would be revealed, and be shed to the light.

They never seemed to be the same after that. A haunted look would enter their eyes. They would twitch at the slightest sounds, and they would never stay in an empty room by themselves anymore.

The lucky ones died before they got to that phase.

Ibiki had to say, it wasn't a pleasant method. He didn't think any grown ninja, who had survived through countless battles, would even survive this method.

_In the end, ignorance was a shinobi's worst enemy. But as they said, sometimes, ignorance was bliss._

Yet, still... there was a reason Ibiki called this technique the last resort.

He didn't think he could endure it either.

* * *

><p><em>Nyctophobia – the fear of severe darkness<em>

_Do you know what hides in the pitch black?_

_Do you even want to find out?_

* * *

><p><span>Note:<span> Used to have its own story slot, and then I decided it needed to be moved to here, since it's under 1000 words.


	5. Wistful Thinking

**Wistful Thinking**

**WC: 361**

Naruto spends most of his life wishing for something that he knows will probably never come true.

For the first twelve years, he wishes that people would see him as who he is. But even later in life, people still tend to first see the orange that marks his supposed 'idiocy.'

When he achieves his dream, he still wonders if they see him, the Hokage, or him, the Orange Wearing Idiot.

For his six months on a regular genin team, he wishes that they would just look at him. Sakura only glances at him to shout; Sasuke merely sends deriding sneers; and Kakashi-sensei's eye moves right past him.

When Sasuke shoves a Chidori into his chest, he wishes they could go back to those six months again.

For most of his adolescence, and even onward into adulthood, he wishes that Sasuke will come back. He wishes that Sasuke will finally stop self-destructing, lay down his sword, and simply walk back into the village.

When he shoves a Rasengan into the other's chest, he knows it's never happening.

For the next couple of years, he wishes Sakura would stop crying at night. He sits outside her window, completely silent, listening to her.

When she gets killed on an A-Rank, he stops wishing she'll stop crying, and starts wishing he had never sent her out there.

For his first year as a teacher, he holds his breath, and wishes that his team will turn out okay. The first thing he sees is a dark haired kid, with pale skin, and a brooding expression on his face. Immediately, he shoves a kunai up to the boy's throat.

When the other two start shouting at him, even as the dark haired one looks at him with wide eyes, he scarcely dares to stop wishing, and start believing.

When he is proved _right_, he wonders why he ever thought he was going to be proved _wrong._

Maybe wistful thinking isn't all that bad, after all.


	6. Dreaming

**Dreaming  
><strong>

**WC:** **187**

His dream started as a want for acknowledgment. To be Hokage, he thought, everyone would notice him. They would listen to him. They would understand.

It transformed into him wanting to protect his precious people. If he was Hokage, he thought, they wouldn't have to be hurt. They could live happily.

Then, he wanted more and more, until he just couldn't stop wanting. He wanted jutsus; he wanted love; he wanted his friends unharmed.

So he experimented with his time.

Those experiments turned ugly.

But, now that he had started, he couldn't stop. He kept going. Things got uglier. He kept going. He thought his hands were so drenched in blood now that there was no point in stopping.

In the end, it got so bad that he wondered why he was even doing this anymore.

He kept wondering, even as they chased him out of the village, and he almost killed his best friend.

His dream started as a want for acknowledgment.

It ended in death.


	7. Perceptions

**Perceptions  
><strong>**  
><strong>**WC: 651  
><strong>

It was a day of celebration for Konoha. With the Fourth Shinobi won years ago, Sasuke back home, and most of the countries in an uneasy alliance, everything had been peaceful. Now, five years afterwards, the Rokudaime Hokage was being welcomed by everyone. Hatake Kakashi stood on the roof, like most of the shinobi, watching as the blond Hokage walked cheerfully through the center of the streets at the head of the parade. Next to him were his two advisors, and personal bodyguard. After that came the ANBU Captain, the Chief Medic, and finally, the rest of the Council. Civilians were cheering on the sidelines, feeling safe for the first time in a decade.

"It's a sad day when the students pass the mentors."

Kakashi glanced to his left, where Yuuhi Kurenai stood. She didn't even bring her head up to look at him, hands tightening around the child she was holding, while her red eyes focused on said students.

"But my friends, we should never be said to see the youth burning brightly in those we have cultivated," Maito Gai on his right said.

Kurenai snorted. "That doesn't make me feel better. Just the other day Kiba asked me if my hands hurt from holding Junior too long." She scowled fiercely, making Kakashi wonder how Kiba was walking so easily. "Honestly... I remember when those civilians thought the _Uchiha _would be a better Hokage."

Kakashi's eye drifted towards Sasuke, who was walking a pace behind the Rokudaime on his right. He had immediately been proclaimed the Hokage's new bodyguard, and personal shinobi.

"And do not forget when Kakashi was going to be Hokage," Gai added, he and Kurenai chuckling.

"Just be glad that Tsunade woke up that day," Kakashi said lazily.

It was true. Kakashi would've hated the job, though, in the days of Team Minato, everyone was certain that was what was going to happen. After all, he had been Minato's favorite student, there was no denying it. Not to mention, he was the strongest. So, of course people would choose him instead of the bumbling genin, with his heart on his sleeve, or the quiet, yet determined one, with not quite enough power.

What a joke, Kakashi thought, focusing on the new Hokage. Obito would have been a better one. From the start, his late friend possessed the correct outlook. Kakashi had been more like Sasuke: cold, detatched... the perfect ninja.

But that wasn't what Konoha needed.

The parade was closing. The Sixth had reached the gates, and was greeting the Godaime with a large grin. Tsunade hugged him, before presenting him with both the hat and robes. The Sixth let out a "whoop!" of happiness, setting the hat on his head, and struggling with the ceremonial robes.

As Sasuke rolled his eyes, but helped the Sixth into the robes, he knew this was the right ending. For those like Sasuke and him, they would always be in the background, ensuring their loved ones protections. Konoha didn't want to see them. They wanted to see the people like Obito. In the end, they were rather ugly people once the pretty surface had been uncovered.

"Well, Kurenai, Gai, I think I'm going to go say hello," he said. Without waiting for a response, he flitted down to the Gates.

The wide grin that was waiting for him made his day. "Kakashi-sensei!" two voices exclaimed. There were other murmured greetings, and a smirk sent to him from Sasuke.

"Hello, my cute little students."

The Hokage made a face, combined with an eye roll. "Kakashi-sensei, you're late!" he accused.

Kakashi shrugged, merely ruffling the blonde's hair a bit. "Sorry, Naruto. I got lost on the road of life."

Naruto and Sakura shrieked, "Liar!" while Sasuke and Sai merely arched eyebrows at him, causing Kakashi to grin. Yes, they would stay in the background. And they would be the better for it.


	8. Insomnia

**Insomnia**

**WC: 558  
><strong>

After the Third Shinobi War, many of those involved were left with new quirks.

Kakashi, for one, was suddenly late for everything, and could often be seen carrying porn around (and then there was the hitai-ate tilted over his eye, but no one cared to mention it).

Anko decided that she didn't care what the hell anyone thought and would do whatever she wanted – including dressing in only fishnet, a skirt, and a trench coat.

Asuma picked up smoking.

Kurenai read romance novels.

Genma started to chew on senbon, just to focus on something.

Minato and Kushina... well, let's leave them alone.

And Gai... Gai became an insomniac.

Truthfully, having insomnia wasn't too uncommon for shinobi. But it was often cured when they went on high ranked missions that forced them to sleep. Sleeping at anytime was something all jounin – and more usually, ANBU – ended up learning.

But after the war, Gai found he couldn't sleep. Most times, he would wake up from sleep, sweat running down his brow, and wondering if anything he had just dreamed was real. Was Kurenai alive? Or did she die, being tortured to death? What about Kakashi? Did Gai not get there in time to stop him from doing something his father once did, or did he fail? Asuma? Anko? Genma? _Anyone_?

He stopped sleeping. He stayed awake for all hours of the night, and into the morning, training as much as possible. He covered up his tiredness by shouting about the joys of youth. He dressed in the most obnoxiously bright color he could find (although, after awhile, it really did grow on him).

Eventually, the sleep terrors began to fade. But Gai found he still couldn't sleep. So he trained some more. And when his genin came along, he taught them to train. They thought he was insane – well, Neji and Tenten did. Gai thought Lee had some inkling of what was going on, but he never wanted to ask. Because asking meant admitting weakness, something he could never do to his students. Though they didn't know it, he knew they were fragile. Most genin were. Any wrong move and they could snap.

So, he kept up the front. Well, it wasn't so much a front as an exaggeration. He drank more coffee (by the time he entered his team into the Chunin Exams, he was drinking five cups a day) and he trained even more.

At times, he wondered how long he could keep this up. But each day, even if he only got an hour of sleep, he kept moving. And he didn't stop until he had to repeat again. He made it his own personal mission to see how long he could go without sleep (and that, he figured, he would always be able to beat Kakashi at).

He learned to live with it. For his friends. For his village. For his students. Because he knew that sometimes all anyone needed was a constant, and he was determined to be that. If he had to give up hours of sleep for that, why should he care?

Ten years later, on the anniversary of the death of his student, Rock Lee, Gai died in his sleep, a small smile on his face. The doctors said his body had simply stopped working.

But at long last, Gai was finally sleeping.

* * *

><p>Gai angst? Two updates in the same day? A third update coming in two seconds? Yay!<p> 


	9. En Memoriam

**En Memoriam**

**WC: 413**

The streets were empty. A few lights flickered, still running after twenty years. Houses and shops still stood, overrun by ivy and weeds. Absently, his feet carried him past the many things of his childhood. The ramen store he used to frequent... the tower that he played in... even his old apartment home... he sighed. It had been such a simpler time. But now, it was over, as was the time of the shinobi. He was, perhaps, the last left of the dying era. He was just here to do one more thing.

Mind on autopilot, he moved towards the old training grounds. Training ground seven to be exact. Ignoring the three poles, one of which he vaguely remembered being tied to, he made his way to the large stone in the middle. With precise ease, he etched one last name to join the many others:

_Shizune. _

At ninety-five, the old lady had finally died. With her last breath, she had asked to be taken home. After a quick trip to the cemetery, he agreed.

The Memorial Stone was not part of the plan, but she deserved to be on it, as much as the others. With a deep sigh, he settled down to stare at the names. Idly, he wondered if the end of the shinobi was a good time. He couldn't remember his friends being that happy in the end.

One by one he looked at them.

_Hyuuga Hinata. Hyuuga Neji. Rock Lee. Inuzaka Kiba and Akamaru. Aburame Shino. Akimichi Chouji. Yamanaka Ino. Nara Shikamaru. Sai. Haruno Sakura. Hatake Kakashi._ The list went on and on and on, until it was back to _Shizune_.

These were the names of his comrades, family, friends. These were the names of those that died for love, fighting with honor, and protecting their village. These were the names that Naruto had carried with him for his entire lifetime.

(Only one name was not on the list, but Naruto refused to think about that because that was one failure too painful to remember.)

Naruto smiled a touch wistfully, blue eyes clouding over. He dragged a finger over the names, noting how the Memorial Rock had dulled over time, so much so that he could no longer view his reflection in it.

They were waiting for him, he thought, and he dropped his hand.

Still sitting upright, with his head bowed, he died.

Weeks later, he was found by his biggest failure, and the circle was complete.

* * *

><p>And thus the threefer is complete... I should stop writing about death. Maybe I'll write a happy ending next time.<p> 


End file.
